Sunday, March 18, 2012

Spring has sprung. Is your A/C fit for service?

Brought to you by MyHealthyHouse.com

In 1758, Benjamin Franklin and John Hadley, professor of chemistry at Cambridge University figured out that evaporation of alcohol produces a cooling effect.  From there, the development of refrigeration evolved into a modern system that keeps our homes comfortable.   Spring is the time to ask the question "Is my A/C ready for another hot summer?"

A/C compressor/condensor
Now is the time to think about your A/C system before its too late.  If you disregard care of this system now, your chances of it failing are greater over the summer months.  Reach out to your HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) contractor in March or April at the latest.  Have them service your system now, before they get too busy dealing with neglected systems that fail this summer.  The fee for a typical service is around $75 per unit, plus the cost of refrigerant or additional repairs.  A typical service consists of cleaning the system, measuring for refrigerant levels and an overall system check.  A spring servicing can ensure against a breakdown when temperatures heat up and your reliance on a comfortable home becomes a top priority.  Consider a service agreement with your contractor.  An agreement like this can help ensure annual services and even give you priority treatment when something goes wrong.


The new 410A is better
for our environment
There are two important differences in the A/C refrigerants used in household systems.  You need to understand which type system you have because if you have the old stuff, you might have a bigger decision to make.  The older refrigerant is called Freon or R-22.  The newer 410A sold under the brands Puron, EcoFluor R410, Genetron R410A, and AZ-20, is a higher pressure refrigerant and not as damaging important ozone.  The phase out of R-22 began in January of 2010, so if you have an older R-22 system, you'll need to be considering replacement of the system pretty soon.  Otherwise, the cost of repairs or maintenance could be cost prohibitive.


If your HVAC system is more than 15 years old, replacing it will reduce your monthly energy bills simply because the newer system are required to meet higher efficiency standards.  Modern minimum SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating for today's A/C systems is 14 SEER.   Simply put, the higher the number, the more efficient.  For example by upgrading from SEER 9 to SEER 13, the power consumption is reduced by 30%  In most cases, replacing your old system will pay for itself in 8 years or less.




You A/C guy can be your best friend
When you find an A/C contractor you like, make them your favorite on your MyHealthyHouse.com profile under the "Service Providers" section.  When you do this, you can link that contractor to all the repairs and maintenance they do for your house.

Regardless of they type of house you have, there are some necessary tasks you will have to do stay on top of things.  Learn more and keep up with your house with a free My Healthy House.com profile.  Stay tuned and make your house the best it can be.  
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